The nanotechnology committee of ASTM International is holding its first vote, and you can participate. To my knowledge, this is the only open, consensus-based nanotech standards effort. Anyone can join and vote. Membership is US$75, and it’s free for students. Read more for details on how to join and vote.Here are two emails from the ASTM staff member in charge on how to officially join and vote (these were sent to me — obviously not all Nanodot readers are temporary members, so just ignore that part). Note that Mac users may have problems, which is ironic given that this is a *standards* organization. Avoid using the Safari browser to pay your dues:
Begin forwarded message:
From: “Picariello, Pat”
Subject: ASTM International Committee E56 – Official Membership/Participation
To: Members of ASTM International Committee E56 on Nanotechnology
From: Pat Picariello, ASTM International
Re: Official Membership/Participation
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An item discussed at the May meeting of ASTM International Committee E56 on Nanotechnology was the issue of temporary vs. permanent membership on the committee. At present, most of you are temporary members of E56 – you were added to the committee roster at various intervals over the past few months (at no cost) to give you exposure to ASTM and its process of standards development.
As the initial meeting of E56 has passed, you are now required to officially join ASTM & Committee E56 to continue participation on this activity – on-line applications for the committee are accessible via the URL below (select the ‘Join ASTM’ option) – please remember to select Committee E56 from the drop-down window at the top of the application – you will be a ‘participating’ members of ASTM & the committee. Note that the annual fee for ASTM membership is $75.00 USD.
http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/MEMBERSHIP/index.html?E+mystore
One of the benefits of ASTM membership is complimentary access (on an annual basis) to all standards developed by your committee. All ASTM standards are compartmentalized into volumes of ASTM’s Annual Book of Standards. The standards developed by Committee E56 will appear in Volume 14.02 – when you complete the membership application, please remember to reference this specific volume. Your options for the free volume include print, CD, or virtual versions.
Please remember that joining ASTM & Committee E56 is the only way to officially participate in the development of standards for this activity.
Additionally, the URL for the E56 homepage on the ASTM website is:
http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/COMMITTEE/E56.htm
It is through the member’s area on this page (red ‘login’ area in upper left corner) or the main ASTM page (www.astm.org) that you will access ballots, roster information, minutes, agendas, & other committee-specific information.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or require additional information.
Sincerely,
Pat A. Picariello
Director, Developmental Operations
ASTM International
610/832-9720
http://www.astm.org/
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Begin forwarded message:
From: “Picariello, Pat”
Subject: Vote Required: E56 Nano Terminology
Good Morning –
According to ASTM’s database, you have yet to vote on the nanotechnology terminology ballot sponsored by ASTM International Committee E56 on Nanotechnology. Please remember that all ASTM ballots have percent return and percent affirmative requirements – your vote is extremely important to the success of this activity. This ballot is scheduled to close on Wednesday, July 13.
You can access the terminology ballot via ASTM’s website (www.astm.org) – select the red LOGIN at the top of the page & follow the instructions until you reach the ‘My ASTM’ area. Select the ‘My Ballots’ link and the E56 (05-01) ballot link. You can open each item on-line or you can download the entire ballot by using the ‘To Access Supporting Documentation’ link. You vote on each item by selecting the appropriate radio button – if you are providing feedback (negative vote or comment), enter the text into the dialog boxes that appear.
When the ballot is complete, select the ‘Submit’ button to send vote to ASTM.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter – if you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Pat A. Picariello
Director, Developmental Operations
ASTM International
610/832-9720
http://www.astm.org/
